


Aurora Borealis

by KawaiiBoushi



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, finally some pure fluff, way way pre-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-17 19:36:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14196231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiiBoushi/pseuds/KawaiiBoushi
Summary: Zeke and Pandoria share a moment together one quiet night in Leftheria.





	Aurora Borealis

**Author's Note:**

> Aurora borealis? At this time of year? In this part of the fandom? Localized entirely within a fwp fic?
> 
> Yes.
> 
> Can you read it?
> 
> Please.

“Pandy!”

Suddenly jolted to consciousness, Pandoria did her best not to show any instinctive signs of life. Her prince had a tendency to wake her up at all hours of the night for things that were usually not as exciting as he thought, so maybe if she pretended to still be asleep, he would get bored and give up.

“Pandy! Pandoria! Wake up, you’ve _got_ to see this!”

Or maybe not. Groaning, she waved a hand in the general direction of his voice. “Go away.”

“Seriously, Pandy,” Zeke insisted, gently shaking her shoulder. “You’d hate me in the morning if I didn’t get you up for this.”

With a sigh of longsuffering, Pandoria rolled onto her other side and fumbled for her glasses. “I’m gonna hate you _now_ if this isn’t worth it,” she grumbled. “What’s…” As she pushed herself onto her elbows and caught a glimpse of the night sky, she forgot how to speak for a moment.

Against a velvety blue backdrop and punctuated by stars hung an immense shimmering haze of multicolored light, deep purples and greens and blues. It seemed to move gently, like a curtain in a soft breeze, colors subtly dappling with each wave. Pandoria had seen drawings of auroras before, but nothing could have prepared her for the true size and majesty of experiencing one in person.

“Oh, wow…” she finally managed to whisper, sitting up on her knees, now fully awake. “I had heard that auroras happened here, but I thought they were, like, super rare. I didn’t think we would actually get to see one.”

“Right?” Zeke agreed excitedly. “Bet you’re glad I woke you up now, eh?”

Pandoria only smirked and rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She gave him a playful shove, which he responded to by laughing softly and nudging her with his shoulder. Hand lingering on his arm, she slowly ran it down along his muscles until it came to rest on top of his, stopping just short of attempting to lace their fingers together. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to keep her eyes on the sky.

 _It’s fine. It’s fine!_ Pandoria tried to tell herself. _If he says anything, just laugh it off! Whoops, totally didn’t see your hand there, my bad!_

She was being bolder than usual. Perhaps it was their surroundings. They were camping out tonight on a little island they had discovered after Zeke had toppled off the edge of Daram Isle, which, for all his bad luck, was home to no other creatures, hostile or otherwise. Not in the mood for the long swim and trek back up, they had decided to stay here until morning. Isolated as it was, the island, with its small, undisturbed beaches, was quietly beautiful, even more so bathed in the aurora’s light. With just the two of them here, it was more romantic than Pandoria could stand.

“Earth to Pandy, hello?”

With a soft gasp, Pandoria’s mind was jerked back to the present. Zeke was watching her in mild amusement, head tilted to the side.

“Oh! I’m sorry, my prince, I was…” she trailed off, gesturing to the sky with her free hand. “Did you say something?”

Zeke shifted his weight slightly, allowing him to flip his hand over to gently squeeze hers. “Just that…I’m glad I get to share this with you.”

Energy tingled and coursed through Pandoria’s veins as her core crystal swelled with a rush of ether. Trying not to let on that she felt as if it was suddenly trying to burst free of her chest, she replied, “Me too! I mean, I’m glad that – that I’m here, with you.”

 He smiled gently, without a trace of the grandeur he so often projected. This was Pandoria’s favorite smile. She felt acutely aware of the way his eyes reflected the aurora’s light, and how his sleep-mussed hair fell in his face. As she watched him in fascination, she didn’t notice the movement of his other hand until she realized it was softly cradling her cheek. “Zeke?” she whispered, voice catching in her throat.

His thumb slowly traced her cheekbone. “I know I should be paying attention to this amazing natural phenomenon we might never get a chance to see again, but…all I can think about is how its beauty is nothing when compared to you.”

Pandoria felt her whole face flush. Looking down, she let out a nervous breath of laughter. “C-come on, my prince, you’re so melodramatic sometimes.”

Feigning offense, Zeke shot back, “I’ll have you know I’m being completely serious for once.”

Despite herself, Pandoria gave a snorting giggle. “For once? So you admit you’re never serious?”

Zeke drew back and crossed his arms. “Pandy, I’m trying to be romantic here!”

“Sorry, my prince, it’s just so much fun to tease you.” Leaning against him, Pandoria wrapped her arms around her prince’s torso. His skin was warm, despite the slight chill in the air. She looked up at him, their faces now only inches apart. Zeke hooked a finger under her chin and held her gaze silently for a moment in which time seemed to stop.

“Pandy?”

“Yes, my prince?”

“May I kiss you?”

Voice suddenly refusing to work, Pandoria could only nod. She closed her eyes as Zeke slowly drew closer, her stomach flipping over itself in anticipation.

The moment their lips touched, however, a sharp crack rang through the night air. The next thing Pandoria knew, Zeke was sitting a foot away, hair on end and expression dumbstruck.

“Oh no!” Pandoria covered her mouth with her hands before scrambling over to his side. “I’m sorry, I _totally_ didn’t mean to do that, are you okay?”

In response, Zeke only blinked a few times, mouth agape, then clutched at his stomach as he fell back and burst into a fit of hysterical laughter.

“Uh.” Frowning, Pandoria hovered a tentative hand over him. “Crap, did I fry your brain?”

When Zeke finally calmed down enough to speak, he lifted himself onto his elbows and grinned at her. “I’m fine, Pandy. Just…this is so _us_ , y’know?”

Relieved that her prince was unharmed, Pandora returned his smile. “You’re not wrong. Although,” she added sheepishly, “it’s been a while since I’ve shocked you that bad.”

Sitting up on his knees, Zeke shook his head. “Totally worth it.” He gently ran his fingers up her arm, a trail of sparks following his path. “Shall we try again?”

Pandoria nodded, willing her pulse to stop racing as Zeke caressed her face. Another shock – noticeably smaller – passed between them as his lips met hers a second time, but he hardly flinched. Instead, he moved his hand to the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine as his fingers ran through her hair. She tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder as she returned the kiss, feeling altogether clumsy and uncertain and wonderful.

When Zeke slowly pulled away, Pandoria could feel her blush deepen upon seeing how he was beaming at her. Giggling nervously, she looked away and adjusted her glasses.

“ _Architect_ , I’ve been waiting _years_ to do that,” Zeke murmured. This brought Pandoria’s attention back to him, raising her eyebrows.

“What?”

His smile turned slightly bashful. “I mean, I’ve had a thing for you practically since we first bonded. You were the strongest, most beautiful person I’d ever met.” Zeke chuckled when Pandoria covered her face in embarrassment. “It wasn’t just a crush for long, though. Growing up, everyone I knew kissed my arse because I was the prince, but even back then I could tell no one could stand me. I wasn’t fit to be Tantalese, much less royalty. You were the only one who never treated me any different. Not like a prince, or a burden, just…a friend. Life was so much better after you came along. I wouldn’t have lasted a week outside of Genbu without you.”

Coming out from hiding, though still blushing, Pandoria said thoughtfully, “I guess it was easy not to treat you like royalty when you didn’t act like it. Like, you’ve never been all hoity-toity or whatever, you know? You could have been insufferable and pompous like your father, but you’ve always been…okay, down-to-earth might be a stretch,” she teased, “but even when we still lived in Tantal, you never acted like you were better than anyone else just because you were the prince. I’ve always respected that about you.”

“Hey, that’s the most treasonous compliment anyone’s ever paid me,” Zeke laughed. After a moment, however, his expression grew serious, and he sighed. “Still. Not being the prince my father wanted me to be is what got me banished. It’s one thing if it had only been me, but I dragged you into this mess too. I’m sorry, Pandy. If I had only stayed in line –”

“We’d both be miserable,” Pandoria interjected. “I’d rather be roaming Alrest together, penniless, than living a stifling life of luxury cooped up in Tantal. Even if your father had wanted me to stay to communicate with Genbu, I would have found a way to leave with you.”

Zeke pursed his lips together, gazing at his Blade with adoration. “Pandoria…”

“For what it’s worth, though, you would have made a great king one day,” she murmured, lifting his hand to place a kiss to his knuckles.

“Who says I won’t still be?” Zeke countered, one of his signature smirks growing on his face. “I don’t see anyone’s name on this island, do you?” He stood up, taking a couple steps back and throwing his arms wide. “Bear witness to history, Pandy. I, Zeke Von Genbu, Bringer of Chaos, by the power vested in me by the Eye of Shining Justice, hereby declare myself king of this island! If anyone has any objections, speak now, or forever hold your peace!”

Pandoria crossed her arms with a soft laugh. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works.”

Undeterred, Zeke dropped to his knees and took both her hands in his. “What do you say, Pandy? How would you like to be queen of an entire island?”

His theatrics were infectious, charming; Pandoria could never help but play along. “An entire island, huh? Well, alright. But I’ll have you know, I’m only in it for the money and power.”

“You say that now, but it won’t be long before you fall for my dashing good looks.” He made a show of flexing, causing his Blade to snort.

“Note that I never actually said you were _humble_ ,” she pointed out, rolling her eyes.

Zeke waved a dismissive hand. “Ah, Pandy, life’s too short for humility.” He leaned in for another kiss, but as he did so, Pandoria tilted her head back in a yawn, so he only managed to crash his lips into her chin.

“Oh, yeah.” He leaned back, rubbing the back of his head with an apologetic expression. “You know, in all the excitement, I almost forgot it was the middle of the night.”

Pandoria glanced upward. “And I almost forgot about the light show we were supposed to be watching.”

With a yawn of his own, Zeke scooped Pandoria up in his arms and laid down, pulling his blanket over the two of them. Pandoria instinctively snuggled against his chest, letting out a contented hum. Somehow, this felt…natural. Right. They really should have done this a long time ago.

Bathed in the light of the aurora above, the self-declared king and queen of a tiny island in the middle of nowhere slowly drifted off to sleep between soft kisses and whispered endearments, warm and happy in each other’s arms.


End file.
